Assault victim jailed after CCTV showed him carrying broken bottle at the time
An assault victim was jailed after CCTV showed him carrying a broken bottle at the time.
Christopher Soden received a 20-month sentence at Airdrie Sheriff Court. He admitted having an offensive weapon in the town's Graham Street on May 5 last year.
Annette Ward, prosecuting, said he and another man were denied entry to a nightclub at 11.20pm because they were drunk. A doorman noted that Soden was carrying a Buckfast bottle.
The pair walked off and Soden was seen on CCTV to smash the bottle off a wall.
The man then punched Soden, knocking him to the ground, and kicked him on the head.
Police arrived and both men were arrested. The second man was prosecuted separately.
Soden's lawyer, Eddie Kelly, told the court: 'He has no recollection of this as he was extremely drunk.
'From what is seen on CCTV, he didn't try to strike the man with the broken bottle.
'He has had long-term difficulties with drink and drugs, and has an itinerant lifestyle, sofa-surfing and living in homeless accommodation.
'It's a never-ending cycle. He finds solace in alcohol and drugs then gets into trouble.'
Sheriff Tony McGlennan told Soden, 34, life must be 'extraordinarily challenging' for him, but added: 'I have to deter you from further offending.
'I must also protect the public and express society's disapproval of this type of conduct which poses a danger to the public at large.
'The offence is aggravated by your record which shows that you used a knife in an assault and robbery in 2020.'
The 20-month jail stretch was reduced from 27 months due to Soden's guilty plea and backdated to March 10 this year as he has been in custody since then.
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